


The Cherished Quiche

by smiling_sunflowers



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Adoption, Family, Found Family, Gen, I just want them all to be happy together, Sans and Toriel being best friends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-14
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-22 01:14:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,949
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30030783
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smiling_sunflowers/pseuds/smiling_sunflowers
Summary: In which Sans is finally ready for the responsibility.
Relationships: Frisk & Sans (Undertale), Frisk & Toriel (Undertale), Sans & Toriel (Undertale)
Kudos: 14





	The Cherished Quiche

The fresh, surface air never seemed to lose its charm or even its novelty. There was something breath-taking about the simple task of… well, taking breaths while knowing the atmosphere extended farther than one could imagine. The air from morning to midday to evening were all wonderful in different ways. The morning air felt light. The midday air felt warm. The night air felt crisp.

It was a bit before six, yet the sky was already painted by dusk with purples and oranges. The days were getting shorter as Autumn stretched on, so darkness had been setting earlier and earlier. 

Sans smiled, his eye sockets lazily set, as he walked side by side with his brother in the lovely early evening. With a place to be, the two kept moderate pace, and each had a dish in hand.

Normally, Papyrus never missed an opportunity to ride in his dreamy, red convertible, but their destination was a relatively short distance and they didn’t want to take up extra car space in the driveway, so they instead took to the sidewalk. Sans felt the wind pass through the hollow of his shin bones and was suddenly grateful to be unaffected by the temperature. Despite that fact, however, he and his brother were still dressed for the season. 

After coming to the surface, Papyrus had stopped wearing his hero costume in exchange for the various human fashions he wanted to explore. Truthfully, human fashion and monster fashion weren’t terribly different. However, it was new and exciting, so he gave his red scarf to Frisk and took a trip to the mall with Mettaton who shared his excitement. Tonight, Papyrus donned a red, tartan sweater paired with a new, golden scarf that Frisk had made him after getting into knitting. On the other hand, Sans’s style really hadn’t changed much at all , his classic blue jacket ever-present. Tonight though, he wore a plain, navy blue sweater under his jacket. It was nicer than most of the stuff he usually wore, but it was a special occasion. 

Today marked a year being on the surface. A year since they had first seen the sun. The end of millennia of hearing stories about a world above, a world from which they had been barred. A new chapter. The beginning of the rest of their lives. All thanks to one special kid. 

Of course, everyone wanted to celebrate. Frisk, as the monster ambassador, discussed ideas with the town council and helped facilitate a ceremony in the park. They even got the day off school! The ceremony itself was nice, albeit a bit stale. It rehashed a lot of history that was common monster knowledge and was really more for the humans' benefit. Sans appreciated it more as a human gesture to them than anything else.

Leading up to the event, monsters had been whispering about and planning for festivities to come after. A lot of humans seemed eager to celebrate as well, especially if the markets this week had been any indication. Toriel naturally offered to host a potluck for their closest friends in honor of the day which is exactly where they were headed.

As quickly as Sans had gone through the day's events in his mind, Toriel's house came into view. It was a bit larger than her house in the Ruins had been. The construction team had wanted to make it even bigger (“She’s our queen, for goodness sake!”), but Toriel would have none of it. She thrived on simplicity. So instead of some elaborate and towering manor, they built a single story ranch-style house that fit quaintly with the others on the street. Painted a light, cloudy blue with four windows in front, it suited Toriel nicely: calm and open. We can live more than comfortably here, she told them, thank you. It was just the two of them there, after all. Toriel and Frisk.

Admiring the golden flowers lining the pathway, the brothers approached the sturdy, cedar door. Sans gave a knock.

"Who is there?" 

He smiled. She had been waiting. It was so reminiscent of all the times he had heard her respond with that same phrase from the other side of a heavy, purple door. A constant flurry of snow from the sky and a constant flurry of laughter between them. The biggest difference now is that he knows her name and can see her face. Their friendship had only grown closer since then.

“nobel.”

“Nobel, who?”

“nobel… that’s why i knocked.”

Toriel laughed as she opened the door. 

Papyrus was far less amused. “MUST YOU TWO DO THIS EVERY TIME?"

“of course. we’ve gotta keep our skills sharp. that’s what undyne always says about training, right? or is that, heh, not ringing any bells?”

His brother groaned before turning to the Boss Monster and asking, "YOUR MAJESTY, WHY DON'T YOU HAVE A DOORBELL?"

As she steps to the side, allowing enough room for the skeleton brothers to enter, Toriel answers, “We need an excuse to practice our knock-knock jokes, do we not?”

Once inside, Sans shrugged off his jacket and hung it on one of the lower hooks next to Frisk's. He placed the tinfoil covered dish that he had been carrying on top of the shoe cubby to free his hands so he could take off his shoes. He replaced them with a pair of nice, fluffy slippers - he always kept a pair at Toriel's since they visited so often.

“Have you brought your dishes for the potluck?” Toriel asked.

“YES! CAN YOU GUESS WHAT MINE IS?”

“Hm… Let me see.” She tapped her chin a moment before feigning a moment of realization. “Oh! Could it be spaghetti?”

“IT IS NOT JUST SPAGHETTI BUT THE CAREFULLY CRAFTED, PERFECTLY PREPPED PASTA OF MASTER CHEF PAPYRUS!"

"That is wonderful. Thank you, Papyrus. You can put it in the kitchen for now. Frisk is in there, and they wanted to make lasagna for tonight. Could you go-"

"SAY NO MORE, YOUR MAJESTY. THE GREAT, PASTA-PREPARING PAPYRUS IS AT YOUR SERVICE. I WILL GO ASSIST THE TINY HUMAN!”

They both watched as Papyrus made his way excitedly to the kitchen. When he was gone, Sans turned to her saying, “good thing we got here early. what would you have done without my brother’s expertise?”

“Sans, there is a very good reason that you are early.”

“oh? did everyone else hear about our comedy hour and call it a night?” he asked with a wink.

This got a chuckle out of Toriel, but it was short-lived. “I actually told the others to come at 6:30, so we would have a little time before they arrived. Sans, I wanted to talk to you about something… rather important. Come sit.”

Toriel began toward the living room right off the side of the foyer. She settled on the couch and patted the spot beside her. 

“o… okay…” 

The air of the room had shifted somehow. Toriel was looking at him with… some type of intent that Sans couldn’t quite place. It wasn’t somber by any means, but it certainly didn’t hold the comic energy they always seemed to match. He sat down. “what’s up, tori?”

She didn’t say anything and neither did he. Despite not having any nerves, Sans felt nervous for some reason - nervous enough to not feel uncomfortable at the quiet’s length. A tension sat, not one of malice or despair, just a simple tension.

Toriel broke the silence suddenly. “Have you ever thought of being a father?”

Sans gave a blank stare. “uh…” Despite himself, chuckles began to escape him. “what?”

His chuckles grew until he was laughing fully. Toriel gave him an odd look, but her giggles bubbled through her before she could even process them. It had always been like that between them. Laughter - contagious, and sudden, and freeing. It was reassuring to feel something familiar. And just like that, the tension was gone. Just two friends laughing on a couch. 

Between snorts, Toriel managed to ask him, “What? Why are we laughing?”

“that’s what you wanted to talk about? it’s so random,” Sans replied as he calmed his laughter with a sigh of relief. “jeez, you scared me. i thought this was something bad.”

“No, no. It’s nothing bad. Oh, goodness, did I make it sound bad? I was just so nervous.”

"how do you think I felt?"

"Sorry." She shook her head as if to rid herself of any lingering nerves. "Let's start again."

"good idea." Sans turned to her with a goofy smile. Things were relaxed between them now. He wanted to keep it that way. This was a better atmosphere for conversation.

Toriel giggled at him, then took a deep breath. "What would you think of being Frisk’s dad?”

Sans’s smile didn't drop but certainly slid in a way that only total befuddlement could procure. Then, he gave an uncertain laugh because how else was he supposed to respond? “y-you’re funny, tori.”

“Sans, I am serious.” And looking into her eyes, Sans could tell that she was really and truly being genuine, and that her previous question lingered as an option he was really supposed to consider. Which didn't make any sense at all.

“what? um…” Be Frisk's dad? What did that mean? Did Toriel not want to be Frisk's mom? Or was she saying she wanted to marry him? That didn't sound right. Frisk's dad. Him. How could that make sense?

Before he could manage to formulate any sort of coherent answer, Toriel began, “Do you not like the idea? It’s okay if you don’t.”

“no, it’s not- it’s just-” Beyond anything, Sans was just confused. He didn't want to say anything about the idea because he didn't even understand it. “what do you mean? where is this coming from?"

“Truthfully, it’s been on my mind a while to ask you. There just never seemed to be a right time. We’ve both been so busy. And how does one bring up such a conversation? Judging by your expression, I clearly don’t know."

Upon hearing that, Sans immediately tried to regain his usual laid-back energy, but he knew it wasn't coming across nearly as relaxed as he hoped. "nah, this is going fine. but, uh, what kind of conversation are we having exactly?"

"Well, as you know, it's been about two months since we worked things out with Frisk's previous family through the adoption center.” 

It had been quite the ordeal. Upon coming to the surface, it became apparent that there was a reason Frisk had run to the mountain. They wanted more than anything to stay with the friends they had made and were gladly welcomed to be part of a new found family. Of course, though, they couldn’t just take the kid. Well, Sans wouldn’t have minded it, but Toriel was very insistent on properly making the arrangements. Once the initial culture shock was settled, Toriel asked the mayor of the town they had found to begin her in the right direction of the process. Frisk was a big help, too, seeing as the kid was so eager to be adopted.

They got in contact with a local adoption agency to help them work through the bulk of the process. First, Frisk’s original parents were tracked down to a beige house with brick trim a couple of towns over. The following part wasn’t so smooth. There were a few months spent in court rooms. After all, a monster adopting a human child? They had barely been accepted to the surface yet. It was all really hard on the kid - seeing their parents, spending that much time sitting still in court, answering so many questions - but they were tough as always and made it through to the end when the court made the official ruling that allowed Toriel to adopt Frisk.

Everyone had worked together in the preparation, from cleaning the house for official visits to sharing driving responsibilities to and from information sessions. Sans and Toriel had stayed up for many nights looking through papers and files, examining and signing contracts and legal documents. All the paperwork filled out, and everything was official! Toriel was Frisk’s mother! They threw the biggest party Sans had ever seen. Practically everyone from the Underground was there.

Sans chuckled at the memory. "yeah. i still find confetti in the bushes when i go on walks.”

"Well, it has all coincided with my job at the new school, and it's been tricky…" 

"tori, you’re doing great."

"I'm not saying I'm not…" she quickly assured in a voice that sounded rather unassured, " but I cannot say I haven't been worried. So I began to think: what if I had a partner?

"a partner?" Sans asked, a bit confused. Like a lab partner, a romantic partner, a partner in crime?

"Yes! To platonically parent Frisk with. To share responsibility with. To share life with, more or less.

Oh, that made more sense. Wait a minute. _Oh._ "and you, uh, want that to be me?"

If the uncertainty in his voice bothered her, it didn't show as she continued, "Well, I figured who better than my best friend?"

Hearing that, a warmth of magic flowed through him. "that's sweet, but…" Sans couldn't quite shake his doubt. " i'm not sure i would be the best pick for that. what about someone like asgore? wouldn't he be a better match for helping you parent a kid?"

Her face contorted and Sans realized he had said something stupid. "Asgore? No, no, no. You know how things are with him now. He's often still busy with the town council. Not to mention, he hasn't been the best with kids these past hundred years. Granted, I haven't either… but that doesn't mean I can't hold my own personal grudge." 

Sans quickly agreed, "that's fair. sorry, he probably wasn't the best suggestion. but me, tori? i don't think… i mean they're my favourite kid on, below, and beyond the surface, but…" He trailed off, looking vaguely to the side.

Toriel didn't respond for a moment. Then, the corners of her mouth quirked up, and she asked, "Remember the promise I asked of you? To protect Frisk in their journey beyond the walls of the Ruins. You did."

Sans saw where she was going with this. "i was the only one you talked to outside the ruins. i kinda had to."

"You didn't have to. But you did. You still made the promise."

"how could I not? there was no one else you could have asked."

Toriel gave a short laugh. "When I asked that of you, it wasn't just because you were the only one I knew. I did so because I trusted you." She took one of his hands. "And I still trust you."

It felt good to hear her say that, but it didn't change the fact that he wasn't sure if he could trust himself. He tried to deflect, "so i protected them in the underground. anyone would."

Toriel's eyebrows raised. "You and I both know that there are many people who would not have. Beyond that, you have continued to watch over them even after making it to the surface."

"‘cause i care about them." And it was true. Sans cared about Frisk a ridiculous amount. That was why it was so important that they have someone better than him. "i care about them so much. of course i’m gonna keep looking out for them. that doesn’t mean i’d make a good dad. i mean, i’d say you know me better than anyone, tori. you of all people should know how irresponsible i am."

“Is that what you have been telling yourself? Sans Femur, there are plenty of words to describe you, but I would not choose irresponsible as one of them.”

Sans tried to keep his tone light, but his voice came out low. “then maybe you don’t know me as well as you should."

Toriel looked taken aback, thought for a moment, then smiled gently. “I know that you raised Papyrus when you were younger. Helped him grow, taught him about the world. Took on, what, six jobs?"

"How did you-"

"I tried to figure out where you worked a couple months back, and everyone told me you worked for them. But back to my point, you worked so hard taking care of Papyrus. And I know that you have cared for Frisk ever since you first met them, guided them and continue to guide them as best you can. After all that you call yourself irresponsible? I won't stand for this slander against yourself.” Sans was stunned silent, so she went on, “I would argue that you are the only person who I trust to take care of Frisk as much as I do myself."

Sans could help how his smile widened. "really?"

"Really."

He let that thought sit for a second. "do you think," Geez, this was nuts, right? "do you think they would like me being their dad?"

"I mean, they pretty much already see you as their dad," she told Sans, much to his surprise.

"they- they do?" An unexpected feeling of joy bloomed through his rib cage, and he felt his magic swell.

Toriel nodded. "I’ve noticed the way their hand starts to drift up to their forehead when they want to get your attention. They always catch themself, but…" She brought her own hand up to sign. Father. "They really admire you a lot, Sans."

"tori… i love that kid. and i think i would love if i could… if they wanted it…" He trailed off. This idea sounded more amazing yet surreal by the second. "geez, tori, how would this even work? would we have to get married or something?"

"No." She paused, her brow furrowing. "Well, we might want to… I'm still a bit confused about the legal attributes humans have added to marriages. There seem to be certain advantages, but… Regardless, no, we wouldn't have to do that."

"so what would being their dad really mean then?"

"Well… I was thinking that you and Papyrus could move in here - goodness knows we have more than enough space in this house - and we’d platonically co-parent Frisk, share responsibilities taking care of them, just have a big happy family."

That sounded kinda… perfect. But could he really- 

Sans was interrupted mid-thought by a series of sudden and powerful knocks coming from the front door. Toriel looked at him apologetically before making her way to the door. He followed closely behind and, when the door opened, saw a fish monster and a reptilian monster standing hand in hand.

“See, Alphys? That’s how you knock to get their attention!” Undyne exclaimed with a wide, toothy grin. Alphys simply stood with wide eyes.

After that, people seemed to arrive all at once. One moment, Napstablook appeared out of seemingly nowhere, the next, Mettaton was making his typically extravagant grand entrance. Asgore came last, electing a far more modest approach: three quiet knocks on the door. It was a good thing Frisk, eager to get to dinner, had been listening for him, or they might not have heard him over the excitement and festivities inside.

Toriel made a point amidst the chaos to bring Sans briefly to the side. "Sorry we got cut short. We can talk more about it another time. This isn't the sort of thing we can figure out in one sitting. I just wanted to bring the idea up with you to think about, okay?"

"okay, tori. i’ll think about it." In fact, he had been thinking about it. Sans wasn't sure if he could stop thinking about it if he tried. The preceding conversation seemed to occupy any and all empty space in his skull.

Toriel smiled at him. "Well, come on. Let's put that aside for now and join the others. I’m sorry I chose to bring all this up before the big celebration."

"it's fine. i get it. let's go have a good time, yeah?"

She nodded, and they went to sit across from one another at the dinner table. Conversations floated all around Sans, but he found he couldn't focus on any of them in particular, too wrapped up in his thoughts.

"Ooh, rice crispy squares! Those have become a favourite of mine this year."

"Tori, I noticed the flowers could use a touch-up. Do you want me to stop by sometime this week?"

"I figured there would be a lot of desserts, so I got my housemate to help me make paella."

"That's perfect. I know Frisk loves these."

Frisk. That’s who he kept thinking about. 

Sans tried to envision himself being a dad. He didn’t have much memory of his own, which wasn’t helpful, but he tried to imagine doing all the things that he’d seen dads do. Some weren’t different from what he already did - hang out with the kid, pick them up from school sometimes, stuff like that. Others were different - packing their lunch, helping with their homework, tucking them in with bedtime stories and goodnight kisses - but he found that every scenario he could imagine made him smile.

He took a moment to look around the room. He’d spent a lot of time in these walls since coming to the surface. With Toriel, with his brother, with the kid. This was the same table he had sat with Toriel to exchange jokes between reading adoption papers. Just last week, he had done a puzzle with his brother here and lifted Frisk up when they placed the final piece. The more he thought about it, the more he could imagine that being the rest of his life. 

Because he really did feel at home here.

"What did you bring Sans?"

"huh?" Toriel was looking at him. It took a moment to process the question. Then, he looked around himself for his dish. "uh…" Oh! It was still by the door! 

Sans stood up from the table and made his way to the front door where he saw it sitting right where he had left it. He took it in his hands - it was still warm. Thank goodness for magic. 

He set it on the table and removed the covering. "Oh!" Toriel exclaimed, "It is a pie… but with a non-sugary filling?"

"THAT IS CALLED A QUICHE!"

"Ah…That's wonderful. Thank you, Sans. I believe that is everything."

He nodded to her, but his mind was still preoccupied; however, the million trains of thought careening through his skull were stopped in an instant as he felt a tiny hand tug on his sweater. 

He looked down to see Frisk smiling widely up at him. " _The quiche looks good! Do you think I'll like it?_ "

Sans smiled as his magic glowed a little brighter. "thanks. and based on how i've seen you mow down egg frittatas, i think you will." He reached down to ruffle Frisk's hair, making them giggle. "dig in, kid."

Kid. His kid. Frisk could be his kid. He liked the sound of that.

"Well, hold on, we gotta have a toast before we start."

Maybe he wouldn’t need so long to think things over after all. 

"Ah, yes. Glasses everyone…" 

Of course, there would be a lot of things to discuss and figure out. Being a dad is a big responsibility, a much bigger responsibility than a quiche. 

"To a year on the surface, one with love, family, and determination. And to many more hereafter."

"...does anyone want some butter to go with that toast, or are we gonna turn on some tunes to jam?" 

He’s already got the dad jokes down, though, right?

**Author's Note:**

> hiya! platonic parenting is something i absolutely love the idea of, and i thought it would be so good for sans and toriel with frisk. i might end up writing more about it, but i'm not sure. anyway, i hope you liked it,, this was my first Undertale fic! the pacing might be kind of weird, but i really liked how it turned out. i'm always happy to hear feedback. hope you're having a great day, stay hydrated!!


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